This invention relates to a system of displaying, dispensing, and advertising small packaged goods, such as cigarettes. More specifically, the invention relates to modular system having different combinations of advertising displays and dispenser trays.
Numerous types of shelving units have been developed over the years for displaying and dispensing small packaged goods, such as cigarettes. Some of these shelving units were suspended from the ceiling. These ceiling mounted units held a number of the packaged goods in vertical stacks. Thus, either a customer or a store employee could select the bottom product and the remaining products would fall into the vacant dispensing opening. Some of these units provided a large space for advertising on panels that covered the vertical stacks of packages.
Countertop dispenser and display units also have been used. One known countertop model consisted of a plurality of vertical supports. Each vertical support has a plurality of equally spaced holes. These units also have wire trays with pegs that fit into the holes in the vertical supports. By inserting the pegs of the trays into certain holes in the vertical supports, the height of the tray can be varied. These units typically also have a top panel that allows for the placement of an advertisement.
The disadvantage of both the countertop and the ceiling mounted types of dispenser and display device is their inflexibility. In the countertop model, for example, the trays can only be altered vertically, between the predetermined heights as set by the holes in the vertical supports. In addition, trays and advertising signs used in both types of prior art dispensers and displays cannot be horizontally adjusted, either front to back or side to side. Furthermore, the size of the trays cannot be altered to hold packages of different sizes, the advertising displays must conform to the size of pre-manufactured spaces, and some advertisements are not illuminated.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser and display system that is flexible because it is modular in nature and utilizes different types of interchangeable parts.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser and display system that is fully adjustable, with trays and advertising display units that can be adjusted to any desired height or any desired horizontal orientation, and trays that are expandable to support a variety of sizes and quantities of packages.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable advertising display unit that can be angled toward point of purchase customers and illuminated, and therefore be more attractive to customers.